How Our Pain Drives Us To Seek HIM

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Stand Firm & Give Fully

The rock in the picture below sits on my desk. It has printed on it Psalm 18:2, and was given to me about 10 years ago from a gal that was in my Bible study group.

She had no idea at the time how much I really needed that word of encouragement. I had been struggling with my wrap-up every week which I was delivering to the ladies on the study. Were the gals getting anything out of what I was teaching?

Many times driving home from church after the study, I would be in tears in the car. I pretty much felt like I was a failure. The gals just didn’t normally seem very excited in what I had said.

If I did manage to make it home without breaking down, all it would take was my husband asking me, “Well, how did it go?” And then I would fall apart.

But God knows us inside and out, doesn’t He? He knew I needed encouragement, and so He moved this sweet gal to give me the gift of this rock, just when I needed it.

Because … I had taken my eyes once again off of the True Rock of Salvation, my Jesus.

Years before I began leading those Bible studies, I had been invited to join a 1-year mentor group with a small group of ladies (Oh, Baby – I’m Cruisin’ Now), and one of the first things we were asked to do was write down what we felt our true passion was. It didn’t have to be “spiritual,” just honest. If it was playing the piano, great! If your passion was exercising, put it down!

As I prayed about how to answer, I felt with all my heart that my passion was to “excite people about God.” I wanted people to see in me a strength and power that could only come from my walk with Jesus. How it was only because of my personal relationship with Him that I had been able to make it through the trials of losing 2 young boys, and raising our remaining son with cerebral palsy.

But did I trust that God would allow me to fulfill this passion?

Well as we all know, a lot of times our lives are kind of like a yo-yo (Up & Down and Up & Down). We’ll be doing great, and then all of a sudden we find ourselves plummeting down into a deep pit. Everything starts to go wrong, and we forget the good that God has done in our lives, and we focus on the bad instead.

That was basically my mindset when I received this precious rock from my friend.

Also during that same time period, I had sent an “SOS” email to a couple of my ex-Bible study teachers explaining my struggles. One of the replies I received back has stuck with me to this day. She said, “Remember, Linda – the words that God gives you to say might not be for everyone in the room. They might even just be for one particular person. And if some of the ladies look bored as you’re speaking, or are even closing their eyes, remember that they might be actually trying to concentrate on what you’re saying.”

What a revelation!

Could that be one of the reasons why 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us to not let things of this world distract us? Yes! We need to keep giving ourselves fully to God’s work, knowing that He will be using it for His purposes.

Keep running the race in whatever God is calling you to do, brothers and sisters! Keep pressing on towards the end goal (Philippians 3:14). God is using you for just what He wants to use you for.